When, in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes
by William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least,
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love rememb’red such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Also known as Sonnet 29
This is a traditional English Sonnet written in iambic pentameter
3
Rhyming
quatrains
turn
resolving couplet
When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least,
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love rememb’red such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
The capitalization of Fortune creates the definition of Fate or
Luck although it carries the connotation of wealth as well.
When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes,
Personification of heaven
turning a deaf ear pares
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
with the word outcast
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
creating a lonely feeling.
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Possessed: to have or to
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
be controlled by? Do we
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
collect friends, what
With what I most enjoy contented least,
controls who and why we
are friends?
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
Paradox – can you be
discontent with what you
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love rememb’red such wealth brings enjoy most? Where do
we place our treasures
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
and do they really bring
us joy?
Literary Devices – Shakespear’s
sonnets are rich in wordplay
Synecdoche – men’s eyes for mankind –
adds personification to Fortune as well
Mood/Tone
dispair When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least,
turn Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love rememb’red such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
elation
Allusion – Satan
was outcast from
Heaven, creating
hell. This poem
was written during
a difficult time in
Shakespeare’s life.
Visual Imagery of
a bird rising out of
the meadow – not
only the break of
day casting away
shadows of the
day, but the lark
bursts forth from
the meadow rising
to new hights
Definitions – denotation/connotation
Riches / Fate
Appearance /
displayed
Aesthetic object /
Elizabethan “To be”
Joyfully /
Luckily - fate
Shakespeare’s play on words created layers
to his poems giving them depth and inviting
you to discover his secrets.
When, in disgrace with Fortune and men’s eyes,
futile
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
Having / controlled
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least,
influence
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate;
For thy sweet love rememb’red such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Condition of being / social position
Paraphrased
When I am wallowing in self pity,
wishing I was as talented, rich, and
respected as others I admire, I
remember my maker and the love he
has for me, and I realize that I am one
of the richest persons on earth.
My Personal Interpretation:
This poem addresses a mental trap that nearly every man can
relate to, the feeling of self-worth.
We are warned against the perils of comparing ourselves to others.
Too often we compare the worst we see in ourselves against the best
we see in everyone else.
“Desiring this man’s art, and that man’s scope” We wish we were as
talented as that person, or as popular as another, or frequently the
saying refers to the attempt to ‘keep up with the Jones’.”
“Haply I think on thee...” If we will instead look on Christ and his
love for us as a child of God, we recognize that we have been blessed
with individual talents and gifts for our own benefit and that of
others.
Even in our worst state we have been richly blessed with the
opportunity to come to this earth. And if we have been blessed with
the gospel,“I scorn to change my state with kings.” There is no
treasure that would be worth trading our ‘state’ for.
Excerpt of an explication by Frank Bernhard, emeritus professor of English
at Buffalo State College
Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 29’
“The meaning of the word "state," which appears three times,
metamorphoses with each new occurrence: in line 2, the significance of
"my outcast state," is defined for us-it is the condition the speaker sees
himself in: deprived of both luck and social status. As a repetition of the
same rhymeword, in line 10, the singing "state" refers to the speaker's
mindset. The third time "my state" acts as a parallel to a monarch's state
or kingdom. The poet's outcast state, within this royal image, comes to
signify exile, which he nevertheless prefers. . . .
If we identify the speaker in this sonnet (as we do in all the
others) with Shakespeare himself, we must wonder whether he was
presenting us with a case history of manic depression, or had perhaps
suffered from it himself. At any rate, his depiction of the malady goes a
long way toward explaining the bard's grasp of the volatile, selfdestructive natures of his tragic heroes and heroines.”
Frank, Bernhard. “Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 29’.” Explicator. 64.3 (2006) Spring: 136-137. 2006. LION. Web. 5
Feb 2011